In celebration of the Winter Solstice, our community holds a Lantern Festival each year. While the shortest day of the year is traditionally marked with meditation and internal reflection, our festival is far less contemplative. The Hills vibrate with drum circles, fire twirlers and a cavalcade of homemade lanterns. For weeks, shop windows are adorned with lanterns inspiring children to the local library for weekly construction sessions. The final result is a street long parade of glowing frogs, dragon flies, marionettes and the odd chicken.

While the hills glow with fire and echo to the sound of drums we are, at the core, a family community. The tribal communion ends at seven with our Elf tucked away, dreaming of fire lit owls by eight. Perfect.

While my fire water grilled cauliflower was inspired by the heat and theatrics of the festival fire twirlers, the actual broth is a re-imagining of South Indian pepper water or rasam. Pepper water is made with tomatoes and traditional Indian spices including mustard seeds, curry leaves and coriander, depending on the region. My fire water uses Asian ingredients to create a similarly peppery, kick in the pants broth.

Like pepper water, fire water sucker punches you in the back of the throat when consumed on its own. However, add it to rice, noodles or poured over grilled vegetables or tofu and it settles in to its companion. This fire water grilled cauliflower combines the slight sweetness of the grilled cauliflower to offset and compliment the peppery broth while the rice absorbs and holds the dish together. Besides, cauliflower is one of my favourite ingredients and is marched out on a more than regular basis. You can choose your base as your taste buds determine because this is all about the FIRE WATER.

Unlike the vibrance and thunder of the lantern festival, fire water sits as serenely as a cup of tea. Underneath its calm and unassuming exterior lies an explosion of heat, pepper and beautifully balanced Asian flavours. It’s a little bit dark and mysterious and therein lies its theatre.